Single reviewsThe Other Side Reviews

The Zangwills – Collision (2024)

Consider the scene: four guys from Northwich, Cheshire, meet at Sixth Form College. They chat and discover a mutual love for music. The interest creates a bond, some jam sessions transpire, and bam! You have The Zangwills.

While this scenario acts out for hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals, The Zangwills bring something special to the music scene. Drawing together their diverse influences and styles, Jake Vickers, Ed Dowling, Sam Davies and Adam Spence, are a charismatic foursome set for world domination with infectious melodies, moving lyricism and cheeky grins. The latest addition to their discography is the single, ‘Collision’.

Following their well-received track, ‘Walking On A Wire’, The Zangwills saunter into 2024 with ‘Collision’. Self-recorded and produced by the band, with additional mixing and mastering by Ben Booker, ‘Collision’ taps into old-school Strokes with strong indie-rock tones. From the outset, The Zangwills set you along a sonic river shimmering with kaleidoscopic ripples. From the crashing drums to a bold bass and searing guitars, the melody slips along in rhythmic harmony; however, just as the lads are united in their playing, each shines with individuality.

While you continue to float along the gentle sonic river, you see tumultuous waves building up in the distance. Quickly engulfing you in a wave of profound sound and words, you find yourself tossed from pillar to post grasping complex emotions (both optimistic and confusing) in the journey. Bold and confident, but vulnerable and fragile, ‘Collision’ is an intricate collision of emotion perfectly wrapped in an indie-rock wrapper. The Zangwills explain:

“’Collision’ is about unexpected encounters, love, and the polarising feelings surrounding new love and its potential to become an inconvenience. Through self-contradicting lyrics such as “My head is a wreck since you hit me, but I love the way the bandages fit me”, we get a sense that, though sudden and inconvenient, this new relationship is not something that the narrator plans to let pass on by…”

Sincere, sentimental and strangely hopeful, but with a bite of raw perplexity, The Zangwills oscillate between hope and concern in ‘Collision’.


Find out more about The Zangwills on their official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.

This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator


Listen to more indie-rock music on The Other Side Reviews Indie Rock playlist: